


Still Here

by beneaththewords



Category: The Last of Us
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 19:05:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10519941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beneaththewords/pseuds/beneaththewords
Summary: Ellie would always know that Riley would never leave her side, no matter what forces of life tried to keep them apart.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was written based off of the request of a tumblr user to write of Ellie and Riley in the arcade. This is my interpretation of that prompt.

Ellie’s calves felt as though they were on fire as she ran blindly through the darkened streets. She hadn’t stopped running for what felt like ages, her kick of adrenaline keeping her looking nowhere else but forward, launching her at such a speed that she feared she would never be able stop. The moon only offered a sliver of light, illuminating only that of a few feet in front of her as she sprinted. Her mind was no longer thinking, only feeling, serving as an unlearned instinct that rang throughout her entire being. Ahead, ahead, ahead - it was like a mantra in her head now, and she kept going for as long as it played over, until her legs couldn’t keep up with the pace of her mind, until she had found her escape route.

With one last muster of strength, Ellie pulled herself through a smashed window that belonged to a building just ahead of her. She heaved herself over the edge as swiftly as she could, the sleeve of her jacket tearing as a shard of glass tugged at its threads. She all but fell into the shadowed room and she allowed herself to stay where she landed on her stomach with her switchblade clutched in one hand. She continued to lay there on the wooden floor, catch her breath, and listen. She listened for infected, for hunters, anything that could have sensed her presence, but when no indication of theirs came she allowed herself a loud sigh of relief that borderlined a sob.

She rolled over so that she was on her back, her limbs now sprawled randomly against the floor and her switchblade now barely resting in her right hand. She closed her eyes for hardly a moment, but it was enough to render her defenseless against the temptation of sleep and it overtook her within minutes. There, in her unconscious state, is where she met the person she longed so much to see again.

_“Are you sure it’s this way?” Ellie asked, her voice barely above a whisper at the thought that those who once were alive here still roamed the place._

_“Have I ever gotten us lost?” Riley asked, an incredulous tone to her voice, but Ellie could sense the humor behind it._

_“Riley, it’s you we’re talking about here.”_

_Riley said nothing to that, but just shook her head at the way Ellie snickered behind her. After walking through the mall for another ten minutes, Ellie taking every chance she got to ask if they were almost there yet, Riley stopped dead in her tracks._

_“What, do you hear something?” Ellie asked in response to their abrupt halt. She couldn’t help but feel a small amount of panic bubble in her chest, waiting anxiously for Riley to say something._

_“Close your eyes.” That was Riley’s only answer to Ellie’s question._

_“What, close my eyes wh-”_

_“Close your eyes!” Riley insisted, “And take my hand.”_

_Ellie did as she was told and closed her eyes, feeling Riley take her small hand into hers. Her hand wasn’t soft like she’d imagined, rather calloused from all exploring Riley did, but she didn’t mind either way. Ellie was just happy to have someone like Riley on her side._

_Ellie felt herself being led forward, stumbling over her own feet a few times before Riley brought them to another stop. She resisted the urge to open her eyes, but knew the surprise would be worth waited. It always was when it came to Riley._

_“On the count of three you can open your eyes!” Riley’s voice held a lightness to it Ellie hadn’t heard in a long time, and she began to slowly count._

_On three, Ellie opened her eyes only to see that of neon lights staring back at her as her eyes came into focus. She didn’t know how to react at first at the store in front her, all lit up and something so seemingly out of this realm. After her initial shock, a wide smile broke out onto her face, and she faced Riley with such adoration that it made Riley swell with pride._

_“An arcade? Are you kidding me?” Ellie asked, her voice getting higher with each excited phrase. “I didn’t know this mall even had one of these!”_

_Riley smiled brilliantly as well. “And to think you thought I was lost - did you really think I’d forget a place like this!”_

_Any other day Ellie would have come back with a sarcastic remark, but she was too absorbed in the room in front of her to even consider being anything less than speechless in that moment. Riley let her take it in for a few more moments, but didn’t want to waste anymore of the precious time they had._

_“Are you going to just drool over it, or do you want to go play some games?”_

_Ellie didn’t have to hear that twice before she took the few steps into the arcade, her world around her turning into a hue of bright blues and pinks from the few lights that Riley managed to power on over an hour ago when she granted electricity to the mall. Ellie stepped towards a few of the games, most of their screens had been smashed, and the crinkle of the glass underneath their sneakers was just a reminder of that._

_“There’s gotta be one of these that still works,” Riley assured, fearing disappointment from Ellie._

_“Yeah, for sure.” Ellie tried to stay hopeful, but the more the buttons did nothing and the more the screens stayed that semi reflective gray, the more Ellie’s excitement crumbled._

_“Hey, let’s hop on these!” Riley shouted from across the room. She gestured to two bikes mounted to the floor._

_Ellie walked over to them, inspecting their faded exterior. “What, do we just sit on them?”_

_Riley shrugged, “I guess so.” She hopped on the one closest to her and Ellie followed suit, swinging her leg over the blue one to the right of Riley._

_Ellie leaned forward as if she were going to drive the bike forward and started making “vrooming” noises to match. The amusement of it only lasted so long, and soon Ellie and Riley were just sat on the two bikes, leaning forward._

_“If only the screens worked,” Ellie wished. “Then we’d be able to really to ride these.”_

_Riley was silent for a moment as if pondering Ellie’s words. “What if we still can?”_

_Ellie gave her questioning look. “What do you mean?”_

_“Close your eyes!” Riley exclaimed, the beginning of a smirk gracing her lips._

_In return, Ellie rolled her eyes. “Not this again.” She could practically see the gears turning in her head._

_“Oh come on Ellie, do you want to ride these bikes or not?” Ellie obliged and for the second time that day, closed her eyes. “Now what?” She asked expectantly._

_“Imagine you’re on a road, okay, and it’s a long road, and there’s nothing else around you but trees.” Riley ordered. “Oh, and I’m there, too, on my bike as well!”_

_“Riley,” Ellie said hesitantly._

_“Just do it, okay?”_

_“Okay, okay, I’m imagining it!”_

_“Good,” She replied. “Now imagine there’s someone else there with us.”_

_“Winston!” Ellie exclaimed._

_Riley let out a short laugh, “Okay, Winston is there. He’s counting us down, okay? We’re going to race.”_

_“Oh, you are so on!” Ellie replied, her excitement slowly seeping back into her._

_“You’ve gotta lean, though, on your bike, to turn.” Riley informed her, testing the move out herself. She could hear Ellie do the same with hers next to her._

_“He’s about to count us down. Are you ready?” Riley asked, hoping that this would work and that this trip wouldn’t be nothing but a disappointment._

_“Oh, I was born ready!” Ellie shouted._

_“Go!” Riley yelled, and suddenly they were off. Imagination or not, Ellie felt exhilarated as she leaned from side to side on her bike, letting out little cheers as she curved down the imaginary road her mind had created. Riley began to lose herself in their reverie, too, feeling more alive than she had in weeks._

_“You are so losing this!” Ellie exclaimed, a laugh bubbling behind her lips._

_“Are you serious? Do you see how slow you are going?” Riley defended._

_“I’m miles ahead of you! Oh, look! The finish line is coming up.”_

_“Bullshit!”_

_“It is, it is!” Ellie kept on with the sound effects from earlier, and when she had finally reached the end of the race her fantasy had conjured up, she stood up from her seat and opened her eyes, hollering so loud that any clicker would’ve been sure to find them if any were near._

_“Okay, okay, so you won in your mind.” Riley fought back, standing up from her bike, too._

_Ellie swung her leg over the bike again to stand next to hit, placing her hands on her hips. “Sure did,” She said confidently._

_“Well, in my race, I won!”_

_“Yeah, well your race was rigged.” Ellie couldn’t help but let a giggle escape her lips._

_“Suuuure,” Riley drawled out, coming to stand by the side of her bike as well. Her and Ellie were now facing each other, the two of them leaning slightly against their bikes._

_“Thanks for this.” Ellie told her after a moment of silence. The glint of happiness that sparked in Ellie’s eyes was all that Riley could’ve asked for in return._

_“Hey,” She held out her hand to bump Ellie’s fist, “You know I’ve got my girl.”_

_Ellie beamed at that, feeling a rare happiness wash over her. She reached her arms out towards Riley as if to pull her into a hug, but the more she outstretched her arms, and the closer she stepped towards her, the further Riley was. She kept walking forward, arms outstretched and her smile starting to falter until Riley was fading as fast as her surroundings around her. She went to call out her name, but everything happened so fast that Ellie didn’t even have time to part her lips._

Ellie woke with a start as she jolted herself upright, a gasp lodged into the back of her throat. Her heart was racing and beads of sweat were forming at the edge of her hairline. She took a moment to slow her breathing and take in her surroundings, her eyes squinting when she looked up and out the window at the sun beating down on her. Blinking a few times, her confusion started to slip away, as did the details of her vivid dream. She wanted nothing more than to weep in that moment out of sadness but also relief for seeing her beloved Riley once again, after all that time, wishing she would.

Instead, Ellie knew she must keep going if she was to make it to where she was headed before sundown. She stood up, rolling a kink out of her neck and sliding her switchblade into her back pocket. She took one swig of her water and made her way to climb back out the window, swinging one leg over the ledge before something in the corner of that little room caught her eye. Tucked away, in the far side of her temporary shelter, Ellie could just make out an arcade game sitting against the wall. It was dusty, and faded, and smashed just like those in her dream. Her heart skipped a beat and she felt tears prick at her eyes. She sat for a few minutes longer, just staring at it before looking up towards the sky with a small smile plastered on her face. Ellie had always known that Riley never truly left her, not really.

Later that day, when Ellie was miles from that lonely room with that single arcade game, Ellie could have sworn she heard Riley’s laugh.


End file.
